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Best Graphics Card For Me?

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I played CS:S the other day and the fps was terrible! I found out this is because my pc has a intergrated graphics card... Its an intel chipset -.-.

So now I'm looking to buy a new graphics card and I don't have a clue where to start.

Here are my specs:

Intel® Pentium® 4 640 Processor with HT (3.2 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
512 MB PC3200, 400 MHz (planning to upgrade to 2GB)
Intel 915G Express Chipset
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)
250-GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
300 Watt Bestec Power Supply

More Info; http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/5276/5276sp3.shtml

And my budget is £100.

Im not looking for something amazing, I just want a graphics card which will enable me to play 3D games without a really bad FPS. (Mainly Counter Strike:Source). And I don't mind if I'm not running high detail on the games.

Message edited by tjvers on 08-25-2007 at 06:26:56 AM

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you can get a Radeon X1950 XT for around $170, thats about a 100 pounds. good performance youll be able to run most games maxed out when you upgrade the ram too. if you want a card for less then get the GeForce 8600 GT or Radeon HD 2600 XT for around $115 or 57 pounds. most games will run fine with those two cards. You might also need to upgrade you Power supply because the cards take a lot of power.

Message edited by jumpmaster on 08-25-2007 at 06:42:53 AM

------------------------------ AMD Phenom 9500 @ 2.5Ghz
Gigbyte ma790x-DS4
Gskill 4gigs ddr2 800
Diamond HD 3870
Reply to jumpmaster

Like jumpmaster said, Thought a X1950 XT is pretty expensive u could go for a X1950 PRO which is slower but about $30 cheaper.

A X1950Pro is alittle better than a 7900GS which is good enough for games even BIOSHOCK!!! on Dx9 of course! And yes Get 2 GB .

BTW if u do go for a X1950 or 8600GT PLS change ur PSU 300W Just wont Cut it!

------------------------------ Cpu: Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 2.8ghz 1.35V
Mobo: Asus P5N-E SLI 650i
Gpu: Asus 8800GTS 320MB
Mem: 2 X 1GB Corsair DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Reply to SteelZ

Few Questions

Would this be a good X1950 to go for?

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/produ [...] ShowReview

Would this power supply be good?

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124926/rb/0

And my final question:

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/63128/rb/0

Would that RAM be ok to add to my existing (2x256MB)?

Message edited by tjvers on 08-25-2007 at 10:21:54 AM

Reply to tjvers

yea that video card and PSU are good.the RAM will do even tough it wont run in dual channel mode, 1.5 Gigs should be sufficient for your system. Enjoy your upgraded computer.

------------------------------ AMD Phenom 9500 @ 2.5Ghz
Gigbyte ma790x-DS4
Gskill 4gigs ddr2 800
Diamond HD 3870
Reply to jumpmaster

Thanks alot for your help

Reply to tjvers

I never saw anything about whether you had a PCI express slot or even an AGP slot. Hope you got it worked out.

Reply to TurdBurglar

@ tjvers you could get the 512 version for a quid less http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_ [...] 7a69dd36a8 just a thought.

Reply to mousemonkey

I would not trust that PSU; way too cheap. If possible, choose one from Tier-3 or better from this list:
http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiere [...] ngs?t=anon

If spending a good amount on upgrading your PSU is not an option, consider a 7600GT. This card doesn't need any additional power, and should handle CS:S fairly well; other games too but not on high settings, which you say is ok. You would then also be able to up your RAM to at least 1GB, which should also make a notable difference in a lot of things.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ There is ALWAYS a drone. Exactly where, or how many drones you will encounter may vary, but that there will be at least one will not.
Reply to jtt283

jtt283 wrote :

Right I see, thanks!

I don't really want to upgrade my PSU as it will be a pain getting one that fits etc. So does that mean If I buy a 7600 GT I will not need to upgrade my PSU? If not thats excellent.

Also does it matter what kind of 7600 GT I choose? Since there seems to be so many! its so confusing.

Reply to tjvers

If you are not a hardcore gamer and if you mainly play cs.s then get this
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/127446
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/106366
i realize that it is over your budget but the power supply will help you in your future upgrades as well.

Reply to cristip60

I don't really plan on upgrading my pc anymore once I've got a good graphics card, because I plan on buying a new computer near in the future. Thats why I want to spend £100 on a decent card now which i can use in this computer in hope of using it in my next computer.

also whats the difference between all these different 7600 GT's?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obido [...] /ref=nosim
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna [...] u=A0687741
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_ [...] 7a69dd36a8
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(1630 [...] -PCIE.aspx

Message edited by tjvers on 08-27-2007 at 10:18:19 PM

Reply to tjvers

I'd go for the Palit one from YOYOTech and put the cash that you'd save towards the next rig.

Reply to mousemonkey

First find out if you have an AGP or a PCI-e slot.A 7600gt would be a good card for your needs.You will definately notice the difference from the integrated graphics and you don't need to worry about the power supply.Just get the least expensive one with the proper interface for your machine and that should hold you till your new build.I agree that at least 1gig of ram would help also.

Message edited by uberman on 08-27-2007 at 10:49:28 PM

Reply to uberman

Its PCIe

Reply to tjvers

Get the cheapest one, because when you build your new machine and are not constrained by the PSU, you'll get a better graphics card anyway. Hopefully the next generation will be out and there will be some more quality choices, otherwise something like an 8800GTS would be great, or even a x1950xt.

------------------------------ There is ALWAYS a drone. Exactly where, or how many drones you will encounter may vary, but that there will be at least one will not.
Reply to jtt283

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